Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-2,0-0MAC
St. Thomas
0-3,0-0Summit League
Women's Basketball Uses Fourth-Quarter Surge to Down St. Thomas, 52-41
11/14/2025 10:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The win ties EMU's 2024-25 win total just four games into the 2025-26 season
ST. PAUL, Minn. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team used an 18-point fourth quarter to pull away from St. Thomas University, earning a 52-41 win inside Lee & Penny Anderson Arena Friday night, Nov. 14.
The win matches the squad's 2024-25 win total just four games into the 2025-26 campaign.
Senior Sisi Eleko (Montreal, Quebec/New Hope Academy/Canisius) led the charge as she posted 14 points with a game-high 13 rebounds while freshman Peyton Hill (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word Academy) poured in a game-high 15 points including seven in the fourth quarter. Senior Ainhoa Cea (Irun, Spain/IES Pio Baroja Bhi/Lipscomb) added 11 points with a game-high nine assists while shooting 4-for-7 from the field.
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan kept it close in the first quarter and entered the second frame down, 11-8.
St. Thomas added to its lead, building a 17-11 advantage before the Eagles went on a 5-0 run to narrow its deficit to one at 17-16. Eastern kept the rally going and overtook the Tommies on a last-second layup from Cea with 00:02 left for a 20-19 halftime advantage. Eastern Michigan was strong from deep in the period, knocking down two three-point shots to account for six of its 12 points.
After the intermission, Eastern Michigan added to its advantage and owned a 34-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter as it took advantage of six St. Thomas turnovers in the quarter, scoring 10 points off takeaways.
Eastern Michigan started to pull away in the fourth quarter, going on a 10-0 run to grow the lead to 44-31 with 5:26 to go in the contest. The Tommies narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles cruised the rest of the way for the 52-41 win.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 2-2 (0-0 MAC) and St. Thomas' went to 0-3 (0-0 SUMMIT).
» The win matched Eastern's 2024-25 win total just four games into the 2025-26 campaign.
» Both of Eastern's two wins have come on the road, doubling the amount of road victories from last season. EMU previously beat Canisius on the road, 70-39, Nov. 7.
» Eastern has also doubled its amount of non-conference wins from last season. It holds two after the win over St. Thomas and had just one last season, a 72-60 comeback win over Xavier, Dec. 1, 2024.
» Eastern out-rebounded the Tommies, 37-33, while also totaling more assists (10-4), blocks (2-0), fast-break points (10-0), steals (13-8), and points off turnovers (26-4).
» Eastern shot over 80% from the free-throw line (86.7%) for the third time this season as it has done so in 3-of-4 contests. EMU is 2-1 this season when shooting 80% or better from the free-throw line.
» Eastern's 13 steals mark a season high for the Eagles and the most in the Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh era.
» Sisi Eleko notched her second double-double of the season and 16th as an Eagle as she posted 14 points with a game-high 13 rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. She collected her fourth consecutive double-digit scoring outing of the season, elevating her career total to 71. Additionally, Eleko's 13 rebounds are the most from a MAC player this season.
» Sisi Eleko is the only MAC player with multiple double-doubles this season.
» Peyton Hill scored 15 points with four rebounds for her fourth straight double-digit scoring game as an Eagle.
» Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) had a game-high four steals, tying for the most in her career and marking her first game with three or more steals this season. Thrash's four steals rank as the second-most in the conference by value.
» Ainhoa Cea nearly posted a double-double of her own with 11 points and nine assists. Her nine dimes are the most she's had as an Eagle and ranks as the second-most in the MAC by an individual in a single game this season. Moreover, Cea's nine assists are the most from an Eagle since Mackenzie Amalia dished 12 in the season-opening game against Texas State last season, Nov. 4, 2024.
» Fernanda Ovalle (Santiago, Chile/Montverde Academy/Xavier) notched seven points while recording three steals for her second career game with three or more steals and first since arriving at EMU.
Historical Notes
» The meeting marked the second all-time between the Eagles and Tommies. Eastern holds a 1-1 all-time record when facing St. Thomas and a 1-0 mark when facing it on the road.
» Sisi Eleko's 16 double-doubles as an Eagle tie for fourth in program history with Ryan Coleman (2002-06) and Nikki Knapp (2002-06).
» Eastern is now 8-9 against teams from the Summit League.
Up Next
Eastern hits the road once more before returning home as it will travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., for a game against the Mastodons of Purdue University Fort Wayne Wednesday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB and @EMUAthletics on X for all the latest EMU women's basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the Eagles on Instagram @emuwbb and @emuathletics
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